From Far Away
by lankree
Summary: The continuation of Tomorrow Never Yesterday: following the pregnancy and routine and not so routine life of the family Grayson.


Because Gwen West is still in a sore spot, but I've got the urge to write some Rae/Rob parental stuff before I start my cross over fic "Bird of War", I'm gonna play around with an idea I've had for quite a bit. This is a continuation of "Tomorrow Never Yesterday" taking place three months after "Ever After".

Hope you like it.

…

From Far Away

Chapter One

Even

Hiiro Grayson closed his eyes tightly and pressed his ear just a bit closer. He waited a few seconds before pulling back fully and opening his eyes, a skeptical expression written in his six year old face. "Are you sure my little brother's in there?" He asked. His huge purple eyes, still bright and round with childish wonder and mischief, met the eyes of his mother, her eyes were equally purple, but her shine was due to intelligence and love for the little boy gazing up at her.

Raven rubbed the top of the rounding mound of her belly. "He's in there, Hiiro. He's just being shy." Her voice was soft; it always was when she was addressing her children. The two children with her purple eyes were sitting on either side of her hips, watching the way Raven's hand was gently petting her tummy. Akane was quiet; she had felt her next little brother kick when she had pushed her cheek to mommy's tummy. Hiiro was pouting, because his brother wasn't playing with them equally.

There was a third child, besides the unborn one in Raven's middle. The raven haired Choris was asleep not feet away from them, her head tucked into the cradle of the left side of her father's neck. She had stayed home from school, the first time in the little one's academic career, her fever from the weekend absolutely refused to break. If her temperature didn't drop by the morning, she was going back to the hospital. Richard rubbed his daughter's back, the way Raven' was rubbing her tummy above her son's body. Hiiro crossed his arms over his chest, huffing with dissatisfaction. He had stopped writing his letter to Kiddian so he could listen for his baby brother, the least he could do was show up. "How much longer until I can see him? He's been in your tummy for a long time!"

"It takes nine months!" Akane answered. "That's what the baby book said. Just like it took you and us, Hiiro!"

"But it's been four months already! How much longer do I have to wait for him?" Hiiro asked.

"Use your math, Hiiro. If Mommy will be pregnant for nine months, and she's already been pregnant for four, how much longer until your little brother gets here?" Richard asked.

Hiiro paused to think, though Raven and Richard knew very well that that was just for show. Math had become the first grader's favorite subject. "Five months." Hiiro answered, still pouting.

"That's right. You've got five months before your little brother gets here." Raven replied.

"Hiiro, when our little brother gets here, you'll be a big brother! So you've got to look after him!"

"How come it's a boy and not a girl?" Hiiro asked.

"That way it's fair!" Akane answered.

"Fair?" Richard asked.

Akane turned to her father and nodded, her purple hair bouncing in her pony tails. "It will be three boys versus three girls, and then you can't say that the girls are bullying you!"

Richard laughed and Raven laughed, both of them mindful of the child they were carrying.

"But, Mommy, how do you know it's a boy?"

Raven smiled and rubbed her son's round face. "A mother knows."

Hiiro uncrossed his arms, his black hair bobbing with the little nod of his forehead, it was his routine response when he accepted an answer from his mother that really wasn't an answer. He turned back to the floor, leaping off the couch and taking to kneel in front of the table. He picked up his crayon and continued to make his new drawing for Kiddian-chan. He had wanted to draw a picture of his family, but he didn't think he could get it right until he knew what his little brother looked like.

"It should be a girl." Hiiro declared as he started a new drawing. He picked up his black crayon and started making an outline of his father, mother, himself, and two sisters. He scribbled black hair on his own image, then on his Daddy's, then on Choris' before picking up the purple crayon and coloring his Mommy's and Akane's hair, then coloring their eyes in with the same purple. "She should have Daddy's eyes and Mommy's hair."

"Why can't it be a boy with Daddy's eyes and Mommy's hair?" Akane asked.

"Because then people will think we're opposite twins like you and Choris and I won't be special anymore." Hiiro replied.

"Hiiro, you'll always be special. And your brother will be too small for people to think you're twins." Raven replied.

"But what about Choris?"

Richard furrowed his brow. "What about your sister?"

"She already has a little brother; she doesn't get a little sister like Akane. Akane was born first."

"Only by a minute." Akane replied.

"Uh huh. But you get a little brother and a sister, Choris should get both too."

"Hiiro, don't you want a little brother?" Raven asked, rubbing her belly still as she sat forward. Her shift in weight offsetted Akane's balance and the little girl face planted into Raven's arm. She quickly righted herself under Raven's gentle look. Raven kept forgetting how much her weight changed when she was pregnant. She could easily topple an eight year old with her weight.

Hiiro kept coloring, seconds passing after Raven finished her question. He was slowly writing out the letters to go over each person's head. Raven noticed that when Hiiro wrote to Kiddian, he always put hearts in the two Is in her name and the two in his name as well. He only dotted the single I in Choris.

"Hiiro?" Raven asked again.

"I'll like him just fine, Mommy. But Chronos and Gage keep complaining that Kwame and Raelis don't do anything except cry and eat. I hope my brother does more than that." Hiiro picked up a different crayon and put his last touches on his drawing before placing it in an envelope and clearly marking "Kiddian Logan" on the front of it. "Mah," Hiiro's declarative sigh opened the air again for him to speak. "Mommy, I'm gonna send my letter."

"Alright, sweetheart."

Hiiro made his way to the instantaneous transporter that was set up in Richard's study. After seeing how inseparable their children were, Mrs. Celine Logan had set up another instantaneous transporter so her daughter and Hiiro could stay in touch while in two different parts of the world. Hiiro had promised to write Kiddian every week and every week, Garfield Logan would open up a letter before delivering it to his six year old daughter.

"Mommy," Akane said, drawing Raven's attention back from Hiiro. "What are you going to name little brother?"

"Don't know yet, sweetheart."

"How did you name us?"

"When you were born," Raven supplied, petting the little girl's cheek gently. "We looked at you both and saw how much you looked like me, so Daddy named you. Since Choris looked like Daddy, I named your sister."

"Oh, but what about Hiiro? He looks like both you and Daddy."

"When we looked at Hiiro, we saw how much he was the both of us, Akane." Richard supplied. "So we named him together."

"Then you'll wait and see what little brother looks like before giving him a name?"

Raven nodded.

"You should let Hiiro name him." Akane decided, climbing off the couch.

"You think that would be a good idea?" Raven asked, her left eyebrow was hitched a little higher than the right, amusement was telltale by her smile.

Akane nodded and her ponytails bounced. "He doesn't get a twin, so he needs to be tied to little brother. That way, we'll all be even."

Akane figured she said enough so she leapt off the couch cleanly, then moved to go to the bathroom. Raven watched her go, before turning her eyes to watch Richard stand up. He cradled Choris' head gently, turning his neck to look back at Raven. The pregnant woman gathered all her willpower and stood up without falling back to the couch. Richard smiled at her softly, his brown eyes happy, always happy, when his beloved was so close.

Raven stood behind Richard and pushed a lock of Choris' midnight black hair from her face.

"We've got quite a little family, don't we?" Richard asked.

Raven laughed a little, the softest noise escaping her throat. Raven followed Richard to Choris and Akane's bedroom. She pulled the top sheet back and pulled it forward after her husband laid their middle child, who in time would become number two of four, onto her belly so she could continue to sleep. Richard felt the little girl's forehead, happy to see she had cooled down a bit since the last time he checked. She had been sleeping off and on all day and by now her tummy would be empty. He'd stay up late to make sure someone was awake to make her a snack later on.

He kissed his daughter's forehead, his wife did the same. Akane came in and got ready for bed under Raven's supervision while Richard made sure Hiiro put on his pajamas and not just sleep in his clothes.

After making sure Choris' nightlight was on and that Hiiro's Batman action figure was tucking safely under his arm, Richard and Raven turned to their own bedroom. They combed their hair, brushed their teeth, Raven removed her makeup, Richard turned down the sheets. When Raven crawled into bed, Richard curled up beside her, she'd be asleep before he was, so he wanted to make sure to have as much of her as he could. They were busy people: Richard worked, Raven took care of the house and the children. They spent family time together, Richard never missed dinner: dinner was Daddy-Daughter time and after Daddy-Daughter time, Richard made sure Hiiro's homework was done and Raven made sure all the children had their baths. Raven woke up when he did, to make the children's lunch while Richard found his suit and tie for the day. She had his coffee and goodbye kiss waiting for him to go and when he came back, she had a welcome home kiss and her staple question: "All in one piece?" ready on her lips. Early morning she had no energy and late at night he was dog tired, but those little hours together made everyday just a bit more than wonderful. Richard could curl against his wife and let her trace his forehead with those thin fingers while his palm felt around for a kick from their next baby boy. When she tired, she'd roll onto her side and he'd spoon behind her. When she wasn't pregnant, it was the other way around; she'd curl behind him and wrap her slender arms around his middle to hold him to her through the night.

Richard sighed, rubbing his forehead into the side of her breast. Raven petted his upper arm. "If Choris wakes up, there's some tomato soup you can heat up for her."

"Is she gonna want to eat something hot?"

"It's good for her. You can split a grilled cheese with her. She likes those."

"Is she going to go to school tomorrow?"

Raven didn't know. "If her fever is gone, yes. If not, I'll take her back to the doctor. That medication didn't work very well."

"She didn't like the taste, she said."

"Did you spend all of Daddy-Daughter time talking about that?"

"No, she told me how you helped her with her make-up homework and that her new favorite class is geography." Richard replied.

"She told me that too, she's learning the state capitals this week."

"I know, she knows seven by heart. New York, Nevada, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and New Jersey: she keeps messing up on North Dakota."

"She started with the N-states?"

"Fourteen is her favorite number."

"I see. What did Akane talk to you about?"

"The fieldtrip next week."

"To the museum."

"You're chaperoning it right?"

Raven nodded. "It will be nice to get out and see the new exhibits. Hiiro and Choris' classes are going too."

"Hmm, that will be nice. You three can have lunch together."

"Four." Raven responded.

Richard smiled and kissed her side under her breast. "Right. We're halfway there, Rae."

"He's a lot quieter than Hiiro was, he doesn't kick nearly as much."

"That makes me think of what Akane said, about Hiiro naming him."

"She's a creative girl, our Akane."

"That she is."

Richard watched Raven yawn before scooting up. "I'm going to check on Choris. Go to bed, sweetheart."

Raven yawned again and nodded, taking Richard's kiss before turning on to her side. Richard got up and turned off the lamp on her side of the bed. He used the light from his lamp to guide himself from the bedroom.

It was warm, it was November and it would get colder soon. His children would have to start wearing their gloves and hats and Raven would start reminding him to tie his scarf tight. Richard checked in on Hiiro first and saw that his first born son was sleeping soundly, though somehow he had untucked himself and one leg was over the covers. One arm was clutching his Batman action figure and the other was flung above his head. It was a good thing Hiiro's fear of the dark had passed, the way his arms flayed in his wild sleep, it wasn't unlikely for Raven or Richard, but mainly Richard, to find himself awoken with a wrist to his face. Richard retucked Hiiro in, smoothing out his hair. Hiiro really was a little Richard Grayson. And he was also a little Raven Grayson. He was their child and there was nothing in the universe to say otherwise.

Richard closed Hiiro's door, the little boy's name on the door would soon be shared with the name of another little boy who would equally be shared with Raven and Richard in a matter of five months.

Richard stretched his back and he made his way to the last door on the right hand side of the corridor. He twisted the knob and let himself in.

They had created a creation narrative, to answer ever single question their little girls would ever ask about themselves. Who was older and by how long; where did their names come from; why does Choris look so much like Daddy and so little like Mommy and why Akane had all of Mommy's colors but none of Daddy's? In their hearts, Raven and Richard never saw Choris as Richard's daughter and Akane as Raven's. They were shared in their hearts, even if they weren't by blood. They didn't know what they would do if the day ever came that their girls would need paternity tests: there was no way to justify why Akane didn't match Richard or why Choris was so unlike Raven. They never planned to tell their daughters the truth behind them and they swore they'd end the lives of anyone who possessed such information with a willingness to dispel the mysteries therein.

Richard checked on Akane first and found her sleeping with the slight snore that wasn't annoying or disturbing, it was just a forceful exhale that let them all know she was there. Choris' eyes were open, but just barely, she must have woken up when Richard opened the door. He knelt down beside her bed and touched her head, it was cooling off, but he knew it wasn't the fever that had woken her up.

"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" He asked.

"My tummy is empty." Her voice was still a little sleepy. A glass of milk with her sandwich would put her right back to sleep.

"Come on, honey. You want me to make you a grilled cheese?"

Choris nodded and pulled herself up so her Daddy could carry her into the kitchen. She rubbed at her brown eyes gently when the lights were switched on in the kitchen. She sat down quietly while her Daddy turned his back to make her sandwich.

Richard finished cooking and placed her sandwich and a quarter glass of milk in front of her. He wanted her to go to sleep, but he didn't want her to wet the bed. She was long out of that stage, but he didn't want to risk reopening that chapter. Choris chewed on her half of a sandwich and slid the other half across the table to her Daddy. He took it and began eating it slowly, in case she wanted later to finish off another piece.

"Can I go to school tomorrow, Daddy?" Choris asked. She took a bite of her sandwich.

"We'll see, Choris."

"I liked staying home with Mommy, I got to see what she did." Choris stretched out the cheesy sandwich between her hands before taking a bite from the middle. No sickness could take away the childish habit of playing with food. Especially not from a Grayson.

"Oh?"

"Mommy brought me into the living room and I watched her run errands from the couch and she made me soup. It was really yummy." Choris finished her sandwich and started in on her milk.

"Do you want some more?"

Choris shook her head around her plastic cup. "I'm sleepy again. Can I go to bed?"

"Of course you can."

Choris climbed out of her chair and pushed it back to the table. She walked around the rounded piece of furniture to reach up and hug her Daddy around his neck. "Goodnight, Daddy."

"Goodnight, sweetheart."

He heard her little feet paddle back towards her bedroom. He finished his half of the sandwich and cleaned up the mess they had made. Richard stretched his back and cracked his neck before returning to his bedroom where Raven was already asleep. He kissed the side of her head and curled up behind her, his arm automatically pulling around her waist. His thumb stroked over the widest part of her middle and felt for the part that was just a little bit warmer than the rest. Richard's eyes drooped a bit more. He couldn't fight sleep any longer.

_Hurry up and get here kid, there's so many beautiful things waiting for you…_

When Richard fell asleep, the entire Grayson family slept soundly together, six pieces together the way they were supposed to be, in a perfect fit.

End of part one.


End file.
